The Snake Charmer
by scribblekitty
Summary: What could Inui and Kaidoh possibly be doing in the tennis club's locker room? And, why is the rest of the team so interested in what they're saying? Misunderstandings fly in this fic!


_A/N: Hello! This is my first Prince of Tennis fic. It's a little random with a lot of humor. I hope you all enjoy and remember to review!_

_Rating: PG, just to be sure. _

_Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I didn't own PoT. . . Such a tragedy._

**The Snake Charmer**

By: scribblekitty

Momo headed towards the tennis club's locker room. The objective was to find out where that damn Mamushi and Inui-senpai had disappeared to right after the last bell rang. They both knew that they had practice right after to school so what the hell were they doing?

The purple-eyed sophomore had just rested his hand on the door knob when he heard voices coming from inside. Momo frowned, trying to hear what was being said. He knelt down and pressed his ear to the door.

"Kaidoh, don't be such a baby. Show me your snake!" Momo nearly fell over. What the hell were they doing in there? He had never heard that tone of Inui-senpai's voice before. It was so. . . so demanding.

"B-but, Senpai. . . This is embarrassing. . ."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Show me how you usually do it."

"S-senpai!" he gasped. "What. . . What if you don't like it. . . ?"

"Then, I'll just have to help you, now won't I? That's what I'm here for."

"Alright, here I go! Fshuu!"

A loud crack came from inside the room. It almost sounded like a whip to Momo. Before his mind could rationalize what might really be going on, he tore off back to the courts. Images of S&M kept running through his mind as he rounded the final corner and nearly bowled over Eiji and Ryoma.

"Uah! Momo-chan! Watch out!" Eiji lept out of the way, landing on one hand, and, using it to push him backwards, settled on his feet once more.

Ryoma simply stepped to the side and adjusted his grip on his bag. "Tch!" One eye glanced at the bent over form of Momo dramatically trying to catch his breath.

"What happened, Momo-chan?" Eiji asked, sincere concern evident in his voice.

Momo straightened himself, and rushed to say what was going on. "Inui-senpai and Kaidoh! Locker room! Whip! C'mon!"

Eiji, and even Ryoma's, eyes widened as they both processed the fragmented news differently. But, they both came to the same conclusion and found themselves jogging along after Momo to the locker room.

When the small group arrived, Momo pressed a finger to his lips signifying for them to be quiet and instructed them to kneel by the door to listen.

"It seems you need some help with your snake. It just doesn't have the right swing to it."

"I tried doing it at different angle last time. You didn't like it?"

"No, no, that's not it. You were good, but if you follow my instructions, you could be great." Some shuffling was heard. A faint blush appeared on the eavesdroppers' faces.

Sitting next to Ryoma, Eiji leaned over to whisper into his ear. "Could they possibly be. . . ?" He paused deliberately for the question was gnawing on all their minds.

Ryoma ducked his head down, tugging his hat down by the brim. "I don't know," was his nonchalant reply. He didn't even want to imagine the possibilities of what was going on inside the locker room.

Momo, on Ryoma's other side, also leaned over to Ryoma to whisper loudly to them both. "They have to be! Just listen to them!"

"That's what I think, nya!"

Ryoma murmured, "You'd better keep quiet or the senpai-tachi will hear you."

Both snapped their mouths shut and turned their attention back to the interesting events unfolding inside the locker room.

"See? You should hold it like this. The grip is not too light and not too hard. Now you try it."

"Do I hold it closer to the end or farther up?"

"Ah, closer to the end, definitely. And, try using just one hand."

"Like this?"

"Yes, right there. That's perfect! Now try it with a thirty-five degree angle back from your regular stance."

A loud snap echoed out to the three listening intently through the door.

"What are you three doing?"

All three visibly jumped and turned to see Oishi, Fuji, and Taka. Oishi was standing with his arms crossed and a puzzled look on his face. Fuji was simply smiling in his usual, placid way. And, as the group turned to look at Taka, he thankfully had his racket stowed away in his bag. They definitely didn't want Taka's 'burning' personality out to give them away to the occupants in the locker room.

Momo cleared his throat and was about to answer when Eiji beat him to it.

"We're listening to Inui hit on Kaidoh in the locker room!"

A crimson blush spread like wildfire across Oishi's face. "W-what? How do you know that?"

"Just listen, Oishi! It's cute." A broad smile spread across the red-haired boy's face.

Within moments, the temporary Buchou had joined the group of eavesdroppers to listen to the drama in the locker room.

Fuji smiled and said, "Oh, my. . . I guess we should hear this, too. We don't want to be left out, ne, Taka-san?"

Taka scrapped his foot along the ground, darting his eyes nervously towards the locker door as if it might open if he came any closer. "I don't know, Fuji-senpai. . . Should we?"

"Of course. It will be fun." Fuji strolled over to Ryoma and sat gracefully down. Taka follow suit not too long after, and the larger group leaned in as one to listen.

"Amazing! Kaidoh, you're improving so well. Maybe we should do this type of training more often, ne?"

"I don't know if I can keep up with you."

"Oh, you're fast enough. In fact, I'm about seventeen percent slower than you at this. But, I must ask, was this your first time?"

A gasp was heard that was undoubtedly Kaidoh's. The group held their breath for a response.

"Fshuu. . . Yeah, it was. . ."

"Ah, so that's why you were eleven percent afraid, thirty-four percent nervous, and fifty-five percent embarrassed."

"Fshuu. . ."

"Oh my God. . ."

Oishi's eyes looked like saucers when Eiji glanced at him after his outburst. He giggled and poked Oishi in the side. "Nya! You're so funny, Oishi."

His face stained an even deeper red with embarrassment. "I can't believe this. . ."

"Well, then, I must confess. It was my first time, as well."

"R-really? That can't be true! You're very good."

"Why thank you, but it was approximately sixty percent you and thirty percent me. I didn't do much."

"Yes, you did! You taught me a lot about my snake. Now I know how to use it properly."

"Nothing you wouldn't figure out eventually, I'm sure. Ninety-three percent sure, to be exact." There was a hint of bitterness that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Seigaku tennis team.

"Stop being so negative, Inui-senpai. That's not like you."

"Ah, you're right. I'm usually only three percent pessimistic."

"So, is there anything else I should know for our training?"

"No. Just keep practicing the essentials until, say, Monday. That'll give you two and a quarter days to go over what I taught you. You can show me how well you've improved by then."

"Alright. Thank you. . . for teaching me, Senpai."

"Oh, and Kaidoh, can you not show your snake to anyone else? I would like to keep this surprise to myself for the time being."

"Um, alright. . ."

Momo couldn't hold it in any longer. "They did do it, didn't they! And, right in the locker room, too! I hope I didn't leave my after-practice snack in there."

Eiji wasn't able to contain his mirth any longer and burst out in a fit of giggles. "I knew. . . they would. . . eventually," he managed to gasp out through his laughter.

Oishi sat stunned, unable to form any coherent sentences.

Fuji was still smiling, but had a faraway look in his eyes as if he was thinking of someone else at this time.

Taka stared at the sole of his sneaker as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. He hoped no one noticed his pink cheeks.

And, Ryoma, the quietest of the group, had the brightest red on his cheeks out of all of them.

The cat-like junior poked his face close to Ryoma's, pushing his hat up on purpose, and pried, "Ne, Ochibi-chan, why are you blushing?"

Ryoma snorted and pulled his hat down snugly over his eyes. "Mada mada dane," came his candid response.

"Oi, Senpai, what's that?" came Kaidoh's voice close by the door. "I think I hear people talking."

The Seigaku tennis team instantly grew quiet, ceasing all movement.

"Hm, it stopped. Well, it's time to get to practice. We're already and hour and four minutes late. I'll just make up an excuse to Ryuusaki-sensei."

The door knob slowly began to turn to the right. And, that's when the Seigaku tennis team scurried to get up like little mice fleeing the rising tides of a flood.

When the data man swung the door open he was surprised to see the whole team standing in rows on either side of the door. They were all giving him the same odd look, which was making him rather uneasy.

"Um, sorry we're late for practice. I can explain."

But, before he could, Momo slapped him on the back and Eiji slung his arm around his shoulders. Inui gasped in surprise.

"Congratulations!" Eiji cheered, releasing his hold on Inui's shoulders to give him a double thumbs-up.

"You devil, you!" Momo smirked.

Now Inui was thoroughly confused.

"Uh, what's going on. . . ?" Kaidoh, emerging from the locker room, stole the words right out of Inui's mouth. And, he stole the attention of the rest of the rest of the Seigaku team apparently as they noted how sweaty he looked.

"Hm. . ." murmured the Seigaku tennis prodigy. No one dared speak of what was on each other's minds. They already knew it anyway.

Inui looked back at Kaidoh with a white towel draped around his neck. "I'm only thirteen percent sure, but I think they overheard our training."

The Mamushi scowled with a little rosy stain now on his cheeks. "Fshuu. . ."

Momo grinned wickedly and taunted, "Aw, look, he's blushing!" Kaidoh opened his mouth to retaliate, but Momo had already turned to Inui and began speaking. "So, Inui-senpai, how's it feel to be a snake charmer?"

Inui cleared his throat and pushed his glasses firmly against the bridge of his nose. "I'm afraid you are mistaken, Momo-chan. I'm not sure what you hypothesized from the situation, but your data is wrong. I was merely helping Kaidoh with his snake."

At once, the whole team erupted in laughter. Even Ryoma and Fuji were chuckling quietly.

Glaring through his glasses didn't have much effect because no one bothered to pay any attention to him. He knew he should have brought that sample of his newest Inui Juice with him today. "I fail to see what is so funny. I seem to be missing some important information." With still no response, his eye brow twitched in the slightest way. "What is so funny?" he barked.

The group fell silent instantly, recognizing that crazy gleam in Inui's glasses and crooked smile that promised some Inui Juice in the near future. They would not suffer through that if they could help it. A mutual shudder ran through the group of the horrors that drink brought.

He regarded them for a moment before restating his question. "Care to tell me what is so funny?"

Oishi, seeing as he was the next best thing to an authoritative figure to the group, nominated himself as the group's spokesperson. "You see. . ." he began uncomfortably. "We overheard you. . . talking with Kaidoh. And, well, we just assumed. . ."

"We knew that you got it on in the locker room, nya!" Eiji interjected, casually slinking his arms around Oishi's shoulders from behind, with a Cheshire Cat smile splitting his face nearly in two.

"Eiji!" the temporary Buchou gasped, surprised at his doubles partner's blunt statement.

It was quite an unsettling look to see for Inui, whose embarrassment was beginning to creep up his throat towards both sides of his face. On his left, he noticed that Kaidoh was doing a rather good impression of a ripe tomato, with a bandanna for green leaves and all.

"Fshuu. . ." was all the Mamushi could manage to say.

Inui shifted his weight from one foot to the other, judging how to explain himself better. "Kaidoh just wanted some help with perfecting his snake. So he asked me to meet him in the locker room after school today to train him. He didn't want anyone else to know he had asked for help."

Momo stumbled over his words, trying to reason out this new information with his former logic of the situation. "But. . . But we heard him say it was his first time!"

"Yeah, and yours, too," the quiet Taka finally spoke up.

Fuji chuckled, and murmured, "Seems that there is more to this situation than meets the eye here. Do explain, Inui."

"Indeed, there is. It was Kaidoh's first time asking for help with his snake. And, as for me, it was my first time being sought out to help someone. I was quite surprised, ne, Kaidoh?" Inui cocked his head towards the Mamushi for a response.

All he got, however, was a "Hn. . ."

"Oh, come on, Kaidoh. I told you that there is no need to be embarrassed. Everyone needs help at one time or another. Knowledge is acquired by thirty percent other's help."

"Fshuu. . . Whatever."

"Now let's get back to practice. We're now an hour and thirty-one minutes late."

"Fshuu. . . Fine."

Everyone walked slowly to watch as Kaidoh followed Inui back inside the courts.

As the last to enter the courts, Momo smirked, nudging Ryoma's arm as a thought resurfaced. "He really is a snake charmer, ne, Echizen?"

"Hn, why don't you ask the snake instead?" came the evasive counter question as Ryoma took off his jacket and started on his warm-ups.

Momo joined him a few seconds later, smiling. "You know, I might just do that, provided he doesn't bite me first."

His guffaws echoed around the court causing Kaidoh to yell at him to shut up.


End file.
